A riot which broke out at Attica prison, near Buffalo, New York, on September 9, 1971.

The immediate cause was a rumor that inmates had been beaten, but the underlying unrest was caused by the horrendous conditions, including over-crowding, bad food and harsh punishments. The uprising was quashed by a brutal, indiscriminate police assault that killed forty-three men. Once order had been restored, prison officials set about systematic reprisals, for which the state was found liable in 2000 and forced to pay $8 million to the torture victims. The governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller, gained national attention and popularity from his decision to launch the assault at Attica, underpinning his appointment as President Gerald Ford’s vice-president in 1974.